New Releases for June 10, 2016

June 9, 2016

CDs + Vinyl:

Af Ursin – Aura Legato [Reissue/2005] CD/LP (Blackest Ever Black)

Blackest Ever Black presents Af Ursin’s 2005 masterpiece Aura Legato. Af Ursin is the alter ego of Finnish autodidact composer/improviser Timo Van Luijk. His work is rooted in the use of acoustic instruments (wind, percussion, strings), but his special sensitivity to the timbral qualities of each instrument, and his deft blurring of them, results in a sound-world that is mysterious, amorphous and hallucinatory, full of suggestive shadows, creaks and whispers. Van Luijk’s process begins always with pure improvisation: music played in an intuitive, sensual way, without the employment of conscious technique.

AGF – Kon:3p>UTION to: e[VOL]ution CD (AGF Produktion)

Ninth solo album of the artist and producer AGF (Antye Greie, also Anye Greie-Ripatti or formerly Antye Greie-Fuchs, Laub). It is the 30th studio album as executive producer in collaborations with Vladislav Delay, Gudrun Gut, The Lappetites, Craig Armstrong.

Classic 1978 album recorded at King Tubby’s studio and mixed by Ossie Hibbert. Features Sly and Robbie.

Air – Twentyyears 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino/Parlophone)

Twenty years after their international debut, the French multi-platinum selling band Air, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, release their first anthology. The first disc contains 17 tracks selected by the band and the second disc gathers 14 rare and unreleased tracks.

Amp Studio – Uncertainty Principles 2xCD (Ampbase)

Uncertainty Principles is the new Amp Studio album, the solo project of Richard Amp of A.M.P.

As the album’s name suggests, it is an homage to the beauty that can manifest itself when random or complex processes are allowed to flow in the production and creation of musical or visual works. The double-disc set features new material, using sounds and field recordings, both new and re-discovered.

Analog Brothers – Pimp To Eat [Reissue/2000] CD (Mello Music Group)

Out of the attics of the insane comes one of the most overlooked rap classics of its era, full of bizarre boasts, ice-cold and meteor-hard beats, and the best bad examples. [Vinyl edition due July 15.]

Apathy – Handshakes With Snakes CD/LP (Dirty Version)

Apathy, a member of the underground hip-hop collectives Army Of The Pharaohs and Demigodz, has been extremely active over the past couple of years. Handshakes With Snakes features guest contributions by B-Real, Twista, Bun B, Ras Kass, O.C., Celph Titled and other respectable artists including Brooklyn MC Pumpkinhead, who passed away last year.

Atom TM – Texturen II CD (No.)

Part two of Atom TM’s minimalist, ambient magnum opus, Texturen, airdrops you into a void of undulating sonic modulation with nothing but the dream of silent huskies for company. Uwe Schmidt has always been a maestro of harnessing non-repetitive repetition and on Texturen II he takes that to a psychedelic extreme, constructing a smooth, digital crystal within the stereo field. Almost imperceptible sheets of binary sleet superimpose themselves on flows of deep, glacial pulse-width gestures. The ensemble is minimal but ever-fluctuating, expansive but hyper-detailed. A frozen mirage. Here, the vistas are endless, the peaks illusory, the troughs few and the symmetries pure. Eat your rations, try to keep moving and don’t go snow blind.

Audion – Alpha CD/2xLP (!K7)

New album from Matthew Dear’s techno-focused Audion alias.

Joan Baez – 75th Birthday Celebration CD/CD+DVD (Joan Baez)

On January 27th, 2016, Joan Baez celebrated her 75th birthday with a historic performance at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The special event honored her legendary 50-plus years in music in an intimate, career-spanning live performance. Baez performed alongside fellow artists and friends, including: David Bromberg, Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Judy Collins, David Crosby, Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Damien Rice, Paul Simon, Mavis Staples, Nano Stern and Richard Thompson. [Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes a DVD. Stand-alone DVD also available.]

Frankie Ballard – El Rio CD (WB)

El Rio is the country music singer/songwriter’s third studio album release, mostly recorded at a remote Texas studio on the Mexican border.

An archival collection of the 1980s work of Dutch sound artist, composer, and producer Michel Banabila (born 1961), documenting his early years with beautiful minimal loop-based electronica, classical-influenced pieces, and ambient drone music. Otherworldly folk music for another time, blending minimal piano influenced by Michael Nyman and Philip Glass with early samplers, guitars that echo Laurie Anderson and Adrian Belew, fidgety percussion, and thick, elongated drones.

Band Of Horses – Why Are You OK? CD/LP (Interscope)

Fifth album from the alt-roots-rock band, produced by Jason Lytle of Grandaddy. [Limited ‘region specific’ lithograph included with purchase, while supplies last.]

Gato Barbieri – Fiesta Caliente! Live ’76 CD (Hi Hat)

Gato Barbieri live at Paul’s Mall, Boston in 1976. Gato Barbieri left his native Argentina for Europe in 1962. By the end of the decade he was based in America, and established as one of the world’s leading jazz-fusion saxophonists and composers. Best-known for his classic score for Last Tango In Paris (1972), he also recorded many albums, finding his greatest success with Caliente! in 1976. The superb performance here was broadcast on WBCN-FM that October, and finds him at the peak of his powers.

Bat – Wings Of Chains CD (Hell’s Headbangers)

Bat barrel forth like filth hounds of Hades, pounding metal with violence and force. [Vinyl version due August 19.]

Beat Of The Earth – Beat Of The Earth [Reissue/1967] CD (Stoned Circle)

After being discovered by fans of ’60s underground psychedelia in the late- ‘80s, the sole self-titled 1967 album by Orange County band Beat Of The Earth has grown into a classic within the field, in spite of its rarity. The improvisational music on the album cannot be easily categorized, but most would agree that it represents a unique link between mid-1960s California and the droning acid rock of the later eras.

Jon Bellion got his start making beats on his brother’s Triton keyboard at the age of 10. When he got older, he landed a publishing deal and broke into the industry writing and producing Jason Derulo’s “Trumpets” and Eminem’s “The Monster.” Since then, Bellion has built a sizeable fan base as an artist all on his own, releasing three free albums and completing two sold-out national headlining tours.

Matt Bennett – Terminal Cases CD/LP (Fanatic)

Matt Bennett’s debut album — a concept record about divorce, inspired by the films of Robin Williams.

Natalie Beridze – Guliagava CD/LP+MP3 (Monika)

Guliagava was recorded in Tbilisi, south-easternmost Europe. The Georgian metropolis is far from pop-cultural arteries, nevertheless its youth observes precisely what is happening outside, and installs that otherness in their own world with a delicate hand. Yet they never run the risk of piddly writing a diary, on the contrary, they again make this now expanded own, this enriched own available for the outside world.

Biosphere – Patashnik [Reissue/1994] 2xCD/2xLP (Biophon)

Geir Jenssen aka Biosphere reissues his 1994 album Patashnik, originally released by R&S Records/Apollo. Double-CD version comes with the bonus 12-track album Patashnik 2. “Mostly, Patashnik continue on a deliciously unnerving pace throughout, gentle enough to go down easy but still just off enough to ensure you can’t call this new age folderol for the rave generation.” — AllMusic

Peter Bjorn and John – Breakin’ Out CD/LP (INGRID)

Breakin’ Point is the Swedish indie rock trio’s first album since 2011’s Gimme Some. For the album, the “Young Folks” crew sought the help of outside collaborators for the first time, recruiting an all-star team of producers that includes Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin, Patrick Berger, Emile Haynie and more. “You behave better when you have people over for dinner that aren’t just your family,” the trio’s Björn Yttling joked in a statement about the band’s decision to work with outside producers. “It wasn’t that we just brought in anyone. We really respect what these guys do. We wanted to make pop music that was relevant now and not in a fantasy world of what we thought would be relevant. We learned how to not dwell on stuff because you can’t sit forever. You have to reach a goal. That was a little bit scary at first.” “Peter Bjorn and John whistled their way into our lives a decade ago with ‘Young Folks,’ and on the title track from the Swedish trio’s new album, Breakin’ Point, they’re whistling once again. But the album’s second single (following “What You Talking About?”) is not a “Young Folks” sound-alike. Boom-bap drums, symphonic strings, and piano plinks provide a churning mid-tempo foundation for Peter Morén’s soaring tenor. These guys sound like they’re ready for a proper comeback.” – Stereogum

Third album from the Oklahoma quintet, taking a more spaced-out and groove-laden vibe only hinted at on their previous release, Just Enough Hip To Be Woman.

Chevalrex – Futurisme CD/LP+MP3 (Because Music)

Since the release of the album Catapulte in 2013, media have been used to describing Chevalrex’ music as “miniature symphonies.” For Futurisme, Rémy Poncet, the handyman that plays himself all the instruments, writes his own lyrics and even makes his own cover, has decided to keep the same path but meanwhile, has grown in melodic power and maturity. With Futurisme, there is reason to wager that Chevalrex will be one of the future pearls that will be used as a reference for those who will venture out on the roads of French pop.

Wild Billy Childish & CTMF – SQ 1 CD/LP (Damaged Goods)

Painter/poet Billy Childish has released over 140 independent albums. SQ 1 is something like his 150th—no one knows for sure. As always great lines are delivered with deadpan humor: “The reason we didn’t sound like the Smiths is because we wanted to sound like this” is Billy’s reply to all the reviews of his band’s work during the ’80 and ’90s—in the days when they stood all but alone as “the kings of garage rock” (New York Times). SQ 1 could be seen as a manifesto of punk rock defiance, a celebration of musical independence or simply a true document home-made rock and roll delivered as art, not commerce.

Brandy Clark – Big Day In A Small Town CD/LP (WB)

“Clark, one of Nashville’s most valued songwriters, doesn’t seek out what’s hard to say in order to stage rock-star transgressions. Instead, she focuses on more intimate challenges people face and risks they take; ones that take place in private, or even in the silence of self-examination. Throughout her second studio album Big Day In A Small Town — the bigger-sounding but still beautifully detailed follow-up to her 2013 solo debut, 12 Stories — Clark speaks for those often pushed aside within the narratives that dominate the American scene: rural people, beauty queens who’ve lost their youthful shine, single moms muddling through their two-shift days. With humor, compassion and an ear for small signals of desire, Clark seeks out the turning points and the dead ends in her characters’ lives as they move through hardship, fighting for happiness and the right to stop holding their tongues.” – NPR

Phil Collins – But Seriously [Reissue/1989] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)

Phil Collins – Essential Going Back [Reissue/2010] 2xCD/2xLP (Rhino)

Latest wave of expanded Phil Collins reissues, each featuring a second disc compiling an array of demos, live recordings and more.

John Coltrane – The Atlantic Years In Mono 6xCD/6xLP+7” (Atlantic)

This box set gathers Coltrane’s mono recordings from the Atlantic vaults, including: Giant Steps (1960), Bags & Trane (1961), Ole Coltrane (1962), Coltrane Plays The Blues (1962), and The Avant Garde (1965). Also includes a bonus album of outtakes. Includes a 32-page perfect-bound booklet, with period photos by Lee Friedlander and liner notes by Grammy-winning jazz writer Ashley Kahn. [Vinyl edition adds a bonus 7”, a replica of the My Favorite Things single (1961).]

Colvin & Earle – Colvin & Earle CD/LP (Fantasy/Concord)

As Colvin & Earle, longtime friends and admirers Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle have united to record their self-titled debut, a true standout in careers already filled with pinnacles and masterpieces. Produced by the masterful Buddy Miller and recorded in his living room studio, Colvin & Earle contains six co-written originals plus inspired covers including the Rolling Stones “Ruby Tuesday,” and Emmylou Harris “Raise The Dead.” Few things can touch the magic of artists so in tune that they seem to be able to read each other’s minds. Colvin & Earle is a prime showcase for their inimitable vocals and mesmerizing guitar playing, a flawless example of the creative process gelling into a gorgeous, cohesive whole. [CD is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds three bonus tracks.]

Holger Czukay – Movie! CD/LP (Groenland)

Reissue of the Can bassist/producer’s 1979 solo album with alternative running order and new cover artwork. [Limited copies pressed on white vinyl.]

Death Valley Girls – Glow In The Dark CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)

Debut album from the L.A. psych-punks. Title track “Glow In The Dark” “starts out as an eerie song with some definite hints of Sonic Youth, but quickly evolves into scuzzy garage punk. It’s good stuff.” – Brooklyn Vegan

Decorations – Have Fun CD/LP (French Kiss)

Decorations vocalist and jack-of-all-trades Devon Geyer graduated from Berklee College of Music. Post-graduation, he found himself living alone and brokenhearted in Silverlake sans car, girl, and gig. At the same time, many of his friends faced the same real world entry aftershocks. Sound familiar? Devon decided to translate that frustration into sun-kissed, slick, and sharp anthems that everybody could dance their troubles away to like “New wave without all the sadness.” He emerged with a millennial mash of Elvis Costello’s romanticism, The Who’s youth in revolt, and just a pinch of indie adventurousness.

Diarrhea Planet – Turn To Gold CD/LP+MP3 (Infinity Cat)

The gravitational pull of Diarrhea Planet is so strong; once you get caught in the orbit of its stadium-sized riffs and blistering solos, it’s hard to escape.

The Dwarves Of East Agouza – The Dwarves Of East Agouza 2xCD/2xLP (Nawa Recordings)

The first solo album by Elektro Hafiz, an incredible blend of Turkish psychedelia, funk and grooves. The legacy of the pioneers of Anatolian rock in a new format: eclectic psychedelic sounds, backed by dub, Anatolian funk rock, electric baglama and progressive rhythms. The Dub Version includes remixes by Grup Ses, Fedayi Pacha, Komadub, Onofon, Alpadub, F.D.U., Hey Douglas.

Enjoy – Another Word For Joy CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)

Recently released on vinyl and cassette — now available on CD. Solo project from Wyatt Shears of The Garden. “…A project which embodies all the high-energy, fuzz-packed punk of The Garden, but with an added dose of romance and melody, a sound that sees Shears embrace introspection and intimacy alongside the propulsive chaos that he’s made his name with. It’s a style not often heard in punk – a genre that can be as sneering as it is brash – but Shears’ music emanates all the sun-splashed optimism and charm of his native California, and the result is incredibly contagious.” – Dazed

The Everymen – These Mad Dogs Need Heroes CD/LP (Ernest Jenning)

“Rock ‘n’ roll is no longer the frontier of music, no longer the source of subversive power or bleeding-edge experimentation that it seemed to be for decades. But The Everymen, a squad of six energetic bandits split between North Carolina and New Jersey, don’t care. On the band’s second album, the new These Mad Dogs Need Heroes, they simultaneously summon the spirit of hardcore and the sound of Springsteen, the feeling of a gospel revival and the power of The Clash.” – Indy Week

Excellos – Rise Up CD/LP (Stag-O-Lee)

Stompin’ rockabilly and blues bop played hard and dirty.

Fitz and The Tantrums – Fitz and The Tantrums CD (New Elektra)

Fitz and The Tantrums’ natural exuberance permeates their new self-titled album, which celebrates walking to the beat of your own drum. Lead singer, Michael Fitzpatrick, says of the new record, “We’ve always tried to push ourselves at every turn. For our third album, we continued to challenge ourselves, taking care not to write the same record again.” “Turn It Up,” Fitz exhorts at the top of album opener and first single “HandClap.” The horn-and-beats fueled track captures the exhilarating sense of promise — and danger — that a night out and a new romance hold. The staccato “Complicated” paints a relationship that’s packed with both chemistry and conflict and bursts into an unexpected cheer. Echo and otherworldly keyboards make “Tricky” an intoxicating dance-floor anthem and a warning to any future lover, while “A Place For Us,” the album closer, encapsulates the band’s belief that there is a place in the world for each of us to belong, regardless of our differences. “Overall, this is an album about desire — the desire for intimacy, for sex, for acceptance on your own terms and the struggle not to compromise,” explains Fitz.

The Forest Rangers – Land Ho! CD/LP (Valley)

“The Forest Rangers may not be a household name, but if you’ve ever watched an episode of Sons Of Anarchy, you’ve heard the work of Bob Thiele Jr. As the show’s music supervisor, his knack for finding songs that amplified the tough world of the SAMCRO motorcycle club was a big part of the show’s success and many pivotal scenes are remembered as much for their music as for their dramatic content. Thiele also put together The Forest Rangers, a collective of musicians (that at times even included Katey Sagal who played Gemma on the show) that recorded many pieces of music for the show. The album’s folkish blues rock (with a side of country) features great vocal performances by guests Sagal, Amos Lee, Battleme, Alison Mosshart and Billy Valentine, and it’s easy to close your eyes and imagine Jax and his family up to their necks in drama. The production is top notch (I’m almost sad I didn’t pledge for the vinyl), and the songs are as great as you’d expect.” Music Addict

Full Blast – Risc CD/2xLP (Trost)

Full Blast, the trio of Peter Brötzmann, Marino Pliakas, and Michael Wertmüller, present their fifth album.

The Funky Knuckles – New Birth CD (Ground Up)

This Dallas soul/jazz band is comprised of sidemen who have performed with Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Chrisette Michelle, Talib Kweli, P. Diddy, Chris Dave, The Polyphonic Spree, etc.

sound distinctly unique. They

Garbage – Strange Little Birds CD/2xLP+MP3 (Vagrant)

Working initially in Butch Vig’s basement and then at Red Razor Sounds in Los Angeles, Garbage drew on a variety of sources for their sixth album, Strange Little Birds — from their recent fan letters back to the albums they loved growing up. The guiding principle was “keeping it fresh, and relying on instinct both lyrically and musically,” said frontwoman Shirley Manson. In the end, Strange Little Birds is less fussed over than anything Garbage has ever made. “There’s a constant and recurring unsettling miasma that permeates throughout Strange Little Birds. It’s not overt nor is it in-your-face. Rather, it’s subtle, peeking its head out every once in a while as a rare dissonance, a minute shift in notes, a flicker of a sound. It’s deliciously creepy and I feel like it’s meant to tease the listener, letting the other emotions take precedence while it hides in the shadows, the wizard behind the curtain.” – Bloody Disgusting

Klaus Gesing/ Björn Meyer/Samuel Rohrer – Amirra CD (Arjunamusic)

The trio of bass clarinetist/soprano saxophonist Klaus Gesing, bassist Björn Meyer and drummer Samuel Rohrer present Amiira. The trio’s love of adventure and improvisation takes precedence over the pre-composed and generates strength, the give-and-take of their musical discourse being so intimate. Amiira is broadly emotional and without mystique or pretension. Acoustic and electronic sounds, sensuous rhythms, sumptuous woodwind-songs, earthen and ethereal bass lines, grooves and vibrant atmospheres all merge with one another and graciously rise from silence to hypnotic beauty.

Ghost Bath – Moonlover CD (Nuclear Blast)

Moonlover is the second studio album by American black metal band Ghost Bath. [Vinyl version due July 22.]

Ghoulgotha – Starve The Cross CD (Dark Decent)

Second album from the death/doom metal band.

Globelamp – The Orange Glow CD/LP+MP3 (Wichita)

Globelamp is the solo project of Elizabeth Le Fey (Foxygen, Meowtain). Her voice has been compared to the likes of Stevie Nicks, Grace Slick, Kate Bush and Donovan, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos and Exene Cervenka, and one can recognize the influence of the supernatural, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, psychedelic folk music and punk. [Limited color vinyl edition also available.]

Gnod – Mirror CD/LP (Rocket Recordings)

Gnod strip their electronic setup to a viscous attack, as redolent of the primal punishment of early Swans, as the angularity of prime Public Image Ltd, shot through with a mercurial power and fiery intensity.

“Pittsburgh punk DIY-ers The Gotobeds have been climbing out of the basement for a little while now: In a recent interview with SPIN, frontman Eli Kasan described an unexpected but welcome write-up on NPR’s website upon the release of their debut, 2014’s Poor People Are Revolting. On its follow-up, the Red Hot Chili Peppers-needling Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic, the four-piece collaborate with Protomartyr leader Joe Casey (who also wrote their band bio) on the half-screamed ‘Why’d You.’ It’s hard not to be drawn in by the album’s hooky post-punk song structures, which showcase wiry guitar lines and bombastic, free-for-all shouts. Yet beneath the good times is pure punk nihilism, whether they’re dissing the US on ‘Cold Gold (LA’s Alright)’ (‘We’re from America, where we don’t move on we just move’) or ‘Rolling Stone, that trash rag’ on the siren-sounding ‘Crisis Time.’” – SPIN

Mats Gustafsson and Friends – MG50: Peace & Fire 4xCD (Trost)

Recordings from saxophonist Mats Gustafsson’s three-day 50th birthday celebration in October 2015, featuring performances by Gustafsson and many of his collaborators in various formations.

Top-class psychedelia, taking the genre to a new level with a sophisticated approach to Afro-funk grooves accompanied by dreamy, playful melodies that range through a spectrum of Scandinavian occult psychedelia, minimal synth, surreal electronic soul disco, and rare groove.

Marquis Hawkes – Social Housing CD/2xLP (Houndstooth)

Marquis Hawkes has a string of well-received house 12”s on the likes of Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Clone and Crème Organization under his belt, as well as releasing techno under the alias Juxta Position. “The elusive producer has been crafting dancefloor-ready cuts for a while and whether it’s dusty techno, nostalgia-flecked house or abrasive acid, it always hits the sweet spot.” — Mixmag

Martha High – Singing For The Good Times CD/LP (Blind Faith)

Longtime James Brown backing vocalist Martha High presents her highly anticipated album Singing For The Good Times. Eleven killer original tunes produced and arranged by Luca Sapio, the Italian soul ambassador, in true analog sound, evoking the best productions of the golden era of Southern soul as well as the sonic landscapes of the Italian soundtracks of the ’60s.

Max Ionata – Rewind CD (Via Vento Jazz)

Italian saxophonist Max Ionata is among the leading players in the contemporary jazz scene and releases his thirteenth album.

Bert Jansch – From The Outside [Reissue/1985] CD (Earth Recordings)

Bert Jansch – (Gold) From The Outside LP (Earth Recordings)

Bert Jansch – (Red) From The Outside LP (Earth Recordings)

One of Bert’s rarest releases, this 1985 LP was originally issued as an edition of just 500 copies on the small Belgian label, Konexion. This issue unites the varied track listing of previous versions – both LP and CD, with many cuts appearing here on vinyl for the first time. Remastered from original tapes by Brian Pyle. Limited to 1000 color vinyl copies worldwide (500 gold, 500 red). Recalling the elegant simplicity of Jansch’s early works, From The Outside sees Jansch return to the uncomplicated yet supremely effective sound of his eponymous debut. This is Bert laid bare – eschewing the more intricate arrangements of his surrounding works for the holy trinity of guitar, banjo and voice, perhaps reflective of his state of mind at the time.

Nick Jonas – Last Year Was Complicated CD/LP (Island)

A polished break-up album from one of pop’s leading men, Last Year Was Complicated reflects Nick Jonas’ transition into adulthood. But he’s careful not to overstate the album’s purpose. It’s sexy without being scandalous (“I’ll never get over not getting under you,” he winks on the R&B-leaning “Under You,”) and meditative but not mopey (he toyed with naming the album after the heartbreaking ballad “Unhinged” before going with something a little less woeful). And with help from Max Martin (Taylor Swift, The Weeknd), his signature, smart pop sound remains perfectly intact, even if Jonas himself is on the mend.

Kaleo – A/B CD (Atlantic)

Firmly a phenomenon in their home country of Iceland, the four-piece band Kaleo descends upon foreign shores, bringing their gorgeous blend of folk, blues, country, and rock to a wider mainstream audience in America. Their isolated heritage inspires a unique take on familiar sonic elements, resulting in diversity and freedom on each and every breathtaking track. Recently featured on Rolling Stone’s ’10 New Artists You Need to Know’ their song “Way Down We Go” was used in the original soundtrack of the American series Blindspot, the FIFA 16 soundtrack, the Season 5 finale of the TV series Suits, and the trailer for Season 4 of Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. [Vinyl version due July 22.]

Cornish electronic veteran Luke Vibert has been known to don numerous guises throughout his celebrated career, namely the 303 mutilations under his own name, IDM/DnB hybrids as Plug or the slew of releases on Ninja Tune as Wagon Christ; yet the oddball disco output of his Kerrier District project remains one of the most lauded and least utilized.

Kleistwahr – Over Your Heads Forever CD (Fourth Dimension)

Eight new solo works from Gary Mundy, whose latest Ramleh album, Circular Time, received a lot of praise when released in late 2015. At times taking on a slightly more tempered approach this album still arrives stamped with Gary’s own take on a descent into a black-hole where screaming can definitely be heard. Kaleidoscopic noise has rarely sounded so triumphant or majestic whilst paradoxically resigning to the flaws of the human condition.

Kongos – Egomaniac CD/2xLP (Epic/Sony)

By now you’ve surely heard of Kongos, the alternative rock band, comprised of four South African brothers, responsible for radio hits like “Come With Me Now” and “I’m Only Joking.” The Kongos brothers took the world by storm with sophomore album Lunatic. The band of brothers – comprised of Dylan (bass/lap slide guitar/vocals), Danny (guitar/vocals), Jesse (drums/percussion/vocals), Johnny (accordion/keyboards/vocals) – was discovered by L.A. Reid of Epic Records, and after signing with Epic, Lunatic was re-released, resulting in astronomical success, topping charts. Egomaniac features the band’s signature accordion and slide guitar, but this time around, the four brothers explore plenty of new territory, especially when it comes to songwriting and vocals. Egomaniac is the band’s first album which features songs written by all four brothers. It is also the first album in which each brother has lead vocal duties.

Leo Kottke – Warner Theater Washington September 1978 2xCD (Keyhole)

Leo Kottke live at the Warner Theater, Washington on September 29, 1978. By the late 1970s, Leo Kottke was rightly regarded as a master of the acoustic six and twelve-string guitar, with a distinctive finger-picking style that effortlessly synthesized the folk, jazz and blues traditions. This superb performance on 29th September 1978, was broadcast on WHFS-FM radio, and finds him performing a cross-section of material from the breadth of his career to date.

Kourosh – Malek Jamshid CD (Now Again)

A Note From Kourosh Yaghmaei: Questions about the difficulties in and delay of releasing this album emphasize systematic censorship, cultural deletion and even cultural self-destruction, at a state level. They highlight the thoughts in the background of the media and a society hit by crisis, in which no voice of clear protest is heard in the world, not from human right organizations, let alone from the media inside Iran. No mention of this censorship, and torture on an artistic soul, along all social, technological and cultural transitions, in this current century, in a land where the world’s greatest [ancient] empire [in] Takhte Jamshid — The Gate of All Nations or, as the Greeks called it, Persepolis, established 2500 ago.

This box set brings together 11 studio albums, recorded in the years spanning 1970 through to 1981, and an impressive five CDs of rarities, including complete unreleased concert recordings, non-LP singles, studio outtakes, and previously unreleased demos. In addition, the packaging includes ‘facsimile sleeves’ said to accurately reproduce original album artwork (expectations should be managed as far as this goes) and a deluxe booklet featuring essays and liner notes penned especially for this anthology, including words by Monument Records founder Fred Foster, American writer Mikal Gilmore and Don Was.

La Batteria – Tossico Amore CD/LP (Penny)

Tossico Amore is La Batteria’s personal tribute to the composer Detto Mariano and the movie directed by Claudio Caligari in 1983, a modern prog rock opera that takes shape from Detto Mariano’s weird musical ideas and develops them into a completely new soundscape. It is a true concept album that further expands the already rich sound tapestry of the quartet.

Les Fils Du Calvaire – Fils De… CD/LP+CD (Because Music)

Les Fils Du Calvaire is a Francophone trio are among the best hip-hop beatmakers in France.

Les Rallizes Denudes – France Demo Tapes CD (Bamboo)

This just might be the single greatest side of OTT psych/noise guitar oblivion ever put to disc from the most legendary Japanese underground group of all time.

letlive. – If I’m The Devil CD/LP+MP3 (Epitaph)

“Revolutionary counterculture music,” like a more emotional Rage Against The Machine or Public Enemy with more inclusive politics. [Limited clear vinyl copies also available.]

Lone – Levitate CD/LP (R&S)

Lone aka Matt Cutler presents his sixth album, which marks a point of departure from the inviting warmth of Reality Testing’s blend of hip-hop and house. “The listener is taken on a rapid joy ride through breakbeats that at times will leave them gasping.”

Julien Marchal – Insight II CD (1631 Recordings)

Julien Marchal studied jazz and modern music at the Conservatoire of Bordeaux Musicology where he discovered minimalism while listening to composers like Pärt, Glass and Gorecki and also electronic music like Aphex Twin, Burial, Müm, Jon Hopkins but especially Boards of Canada.

Legendary jazz greats Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling collaborate for the first time.

The Pedrito Martinez Group – Habana Dreams CD (Motema Music)

The Pedrito Martinez Group follows up their Grammy-nominated debut, pushing forward the group’s cutting-edge sound with some of the biggest names in Latin music — Rubén Blades, Descemer Bueno, and Issac Delgado. Recorded in both Cuba and New York, Habana Dreams marks the homecoming of Cuban-born conguero and rumbero Pedrito Martinez, and a return to his Afro-Cuban roots. With magnetic personality and dynamic musicianship, the group showcases its impressive range, from contemplative ballads to electrifying rumbas, while remaining irresistibly danceable throughout.

Paul McCartney – Pure McCartney 2xCD/4xCD/4xLP (Concord/Hear Music)

This is the only comprehensive career collection released of Paul McCartney’s solo works (outside of the The Beatles) from his 45-year solo career, and is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds 28 more tracks. Vinyl edition is HQ-180gm and packaged in a slipcase. “Me and my team came up with the idea of putting together a collection of my recordings with nothing else in mind other than having something fun to listen to. Maybe to be enjoyed on a long car journey or an evening at home, or at a party with friends. So we got our heads together and came up with these diverse play lists from various periods of my long and winding career. The word career is a bit misleading because to me it has been more like a musical adventure than a proper job. It pleases me, and often amazes me, that I’ve been involved in the writing and recording of so many songs, each of them so different from the others. But on my next long car journey this will be the soundtrack for the ride, and a great ride it has been coming up with these songs. So jump in your hot rod or relax in your hot bath and give these ditties a spin and remember that if half of the pleasure we had in putting this collection together communicates itself to you, we’ll all be riding high!’” — Paul McCartney

Chrisette Michele – Milestone CD (Rich Hipster)

Milestone takes an urban turn as Chrisette Michele releases her first Rich Hipster delivery. With gifts from hip-hop icon Rick Ross and urban consciousness, Mali Music, Milestone proves to be Chrisette’s greatest mainstream contribution. Singing of the love she’s found with her new engagement and the haters that have come along with it, a new side of Chrisette is revealed. She’s fresh, brave, beautiful and more sensual than we’ve ever seen her. Welcome to the new found freedom that is Milestone. Chrisette recently spoke to SoulTrain.com about Milestone saying “I’ve been recording and creating songs for people for a really long time, so it was really important to me that the fans were satisfied. But this time, I’m gonna be a little bit selfish; the same songs that I listen to on my iPod or that I dance to when I go out, I’m gonna write and sing those songs and I’m gonna enjoy them. I think that people are gonna enjoy them with me because I’m having just that much fun.”

Moby – Music From Porcelain 2xCD (Thrive)

Music From Porcelain is the companion album for Moby’s recently released autobiography, Porcelain. The set is also the first comprehensive compilation of Moby’s work starting in the 1990s and includes re-mastered recordings from Moby’s early catalog. As a bonus, the collection also contains a selection of some of the era’s defining dance recordings that inspired Moby’s early career.

Moon Hooch – Red Sky CD/LP (Hornblow)

If any band is a poster child for turning the power of positive thoughts and intention into reality, it’s the explosive horn-and-percussion trio Moon Hooch. In just a few short years, the group – Mike Wilbur, fellow horn player Wenzl McGowen, and drummer James Muschler – has gone from playing on New York City subway platforms to touring with the likes of Beats Antique, They Might Be Giants, and Lotus, as well as selling out their own headline shows in major venues around the country. On Red Sky, the band uses everything they’ve learned from their whirlwind journey to push their sound to new heights, bringing together the raw, transcendent energy of their live performances and the sleek sophistication of their studio work into a singular, intoxicating brew that blends elements of virtuosic jazz, groovy funk, and pulse-pounding electronic dance music.

Frequently named as one of the best live albums ever recorded, …It’s Too Late to Stop Now… was recorded during what has often been said to be Morrison’s greatest phase as a live performer, circa 1973. [The Deluxe four-disc set collates peak performances originally recorded at three venues: The Troubadour in Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Civic Center, and The Rainbow Theatre in London, along with a DVD of live footage from the Rainbow Theatre, which originally aired on the BBC in the UK and is now available for the first time commercially.]

Nahko and Medicine For The People – Hoka CD/2xLP (SideOneDummy)

Hoka is a Lakota word, an indigenous tribe from the Great Plains, it is a call to action. It’s what Crazy Horse would say when he went into battle, “Hoka, hey!” “My call is to put action to the words that I speak and the lyrics I sing. Not just to talk, but to do,” says the Oregon-born singer/songwriter, who is of Puerto Rican, Native American (Apache), and Filipino descent.

Nite Jewel – Liquid Cool CD/LP (Gloriette)

“Ramona Gonzalez operates in the fringe space between pop and everything else. Avoiding the confines of the former led her to leave Secretly Canadian, the label that put out her 2012 album, One Second Of Love, and build a modest recording space in her Los Angeles home. Without the influence of corporate demand, she felt free to explore music in a way that better suited her identity. The “pop” tag that her label and the media had assigned her had proven too limiting for Gonzalez, who’s always performed her Nite Jewel alias as an equalizer between herself and the listener rather than a salable object of desire. The songs that make up Gonzalez’s latest, self-released effort, Liquid Cool, are streamlined to captivate the ears without concessions to a formula. They’re fascinating, headspace-oriented compositions with poptimist touch tones for hooks, and the freedom Gonzalez found to mix and record as she saw fit permeates the songs’ breezy production.” – NPR

Tom Odell – Wrong Crowd CD/LP+MP3 (RCA)

Follow-up to the singer/songwriter’s million-selling Long Way Down. “I wanted the songs to sound big and dramatic; big strings and melodies emphasizing the songs further – rich in musicality and holding nothing back. The album follows a narrative of a man held at ransom by his childhood, yearning for it, yearning for nature- a desire for innocence in this perverse world in which he now lives. It’s a fictional story but the emotions and feelings are obviously ones I have felt – though the stories are elaborated and exaggerated. I wanted to create a world with a heightened sense of reality.”

Oddisee – Alwasta CD (Mellow Music Group)

Sudanese-American hip-hop artist Oddisee’s new EP takes its title from the Arabic coloquial term used to mean (to use colloquial English) “the plug.” The term “wasta” comes from the Arabic word “wasat,” meaning “middle” or “middleman,” and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Understanding the value of social currency and how to use it (for better or worse) is what Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddisee focused on as the primary inspiration for his lyrics. “Oddisee’s Alwasta is no-skip music to ride to” – Stereogum. [Vinyl version due July 15.]

Marc Ostermeier – Tiny Birds CD (Home Normal)

New work by the co-founder of Words On Music and the Tench record label. Ostermeier defines much of his music as being “skeletal piano melodies” which seems pretty accurate given the sparse nature of Tiny Birds. Yet, amongst the gorgeous little melodies at play here, there is a careful depth of sound design from a variety of found sounds and field recordings. Apart from the simplicity of his piano structures, there is a tellingly beautiful contribution from violinist Christoph Berg.

Andrew Paine – Sky Movers Must Fight On CD (Glass Redux)

Quietly and without fuss, Andrew Paine has established himself as one of the UK underground’s most progressive thinkers and most diverse operators, his modes ranging from solo voice, through layered howling guitars, gentle piano interludes, oblique electronics and wherever he likes in between.

Paranoid – Satyagraha [2015] CD (Southern Lord)

“For fans of all things crust and d-beat, Paranoid will take you on a full-fledged assault to punker town” – Cvlt Nation. [Vinyl edition due July 1.]

Paternoster – Paternoster [Reissue/1972] CD/LP+CD+MP3 (Now Again)

Reissue of an Austrian prog-psych masterpiece. Paternoster is an indescribable trip influenced by Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, and Procol Harum, but unique to true to itself.

Esmé Patterson – We Were Wild CD/LP (Grand Jury Music)

New album by the singer/songwriter from Portland, OR. Patterson began as a member of the Denver folk pop septet, Paper Bird, and has released two albums as a solo act including 2012’s All Princes, I and 2013’s Woman To Woman. She was a featured writer/vocalist on Shakey Graves’ album, Dearly Departed. She has performed on Conan, Leno and Letterman.

Plaid – The Digging Remedy CD/LP (Warp)

The Digging Remedy is Plaid’s eleventh studio album and yet encompasses their playful approach towards production more than ever. Joined by Benet Walsh on flute and bass for much of the album has added an extra dimension to Andy Turner and Ed Handley’s sound. When it comes to the album’s name, The Digging Remedy hints at search and reward, the serendipity of finding something you weren’t previously looking for — and signals that there is much more to be revealed. Turner and Handley will continue their tradition of collaboration that has seen them work with a diverse range of musicians — from Björk, to the London Sinfonietta, to the Southbank Gamelan Players — as well as artists, and innovators in music technology.

Brigid Mae Power – Brigid Mae Power CD/LP (Tompkins Square)

Brigid Mae Power is an Irish singer/songwriter. In addition to the guitar, she plays accordion, baritone ukulele, piano and harmonium; creating hauntingly dreamlike soundscapes.

Purple Image – Purple Image [Reissue/1970] CD (Stoned Circle)

Cleveland’s Purple Image faced an uphill climb in an era and country that expected “negro” music from its “negroes”: In a Hendrix landscape, young, black bands had slowly started to emerge from the soul neighborhoods and R&B backdrop. Purple Image traded on a thumping, harder-than-Parliament psychedelic noise fortified by powerful group vocals and the twin guitar attack of Ken Roberts and Frank Smith.

Puzzle – Soaring CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Burger)

Recently released on vinyl and cassette – now available on CD. Puzzle is The Garden’s Fletcher Shears electronic solo side-project.

Eli Paperboy Reed – My Way Home CD/LP (Yep Roc)

Mojo Magazine called the Boston-via-Mississippi singer the king of rhythm & soul, while Rolling Stone hailed his classic soul and horn-heavy R&B soaked with the blues, and NPR raved that he conveys the heart-wrenching emotion of Southern predecessors such as Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. My Way Home represents a return to the sonic character that Reed’s career began with, but it does more than that: It captures the essence of his sound. A sound that, over everything else, prizes feeling, energy, and, yes, soul.

The Revolutionaries – Burning Dub [Reissue/1978] CD/LP (Secret)

Junior English may not be the first name to skank into a roots and dub-lover’s head when checking out a gloriously Rasta-infused album from the late 1970’s. Blessed with a clean sweet voice equal to Pat Kelly or Junior Murvin and a superb production talent, unfortunately he is now most remembered for honeyed UK lovers hits. But unknown to many, he also took the reign on some heavyweight sessions in Jamaica resulting in his Natural High album and its dub partial-counterpart Burning Dub utilizing the best studio band in the land – The Revolutionaries.

Rival Sons – Hollow Bones CD/LP+MP3 (Earache)

Rival Sons are a raucous, maximum-blues-infused, hard rock band from Los Angeles, CA, who explode with the rhythm and roughness of some of the greatest rock acts of all time. Hailed as “The unlikely saviors of American Rock” (Classic Rock) lead vocalist Jay Buchanan, guitarist Scott Holiday, bassist Robin Everhart, and drummer Mike Miley were brought together by a love of music, but also, in their own words, they “want to give the people the rock ‘n’ roll they deserve by keeping it honest, visceral, and dangerous.” Hollow Bones is the follow-up to 2014’s acclaimed Great Western Valkyrie. The album was recorded in Nashville’s LCS Studios with two-time Grammy winning go to producer Dave Cobb, who raves about the band: “Rival Sons are the best rock ‘n’ roll band on the planet.” As a band that has always been convinced that the artwork is just as important a part of the overall experience as the music, Rival Sons also teamed up with highly figurative artist Martin Wittfooth. [Limited purple vinyl and autographed CD and vinyl editions are also available.]

Saliva – Love, Lies & Therapy CD (UMe)

The alt-rock band’s ninth studio album is their second with lead vocalist Bobby Amaru and newest member, bassist Brad Stewart.

Bruno Sanfilippo – The Poet CD (1631 Recordings)

Bruno Sanfilippo is a classically trained musician and composer who has been creating music for more than 20 years. His focus alternates between the exploration of minimalist piano concepts and electroacoustic music. “Simple and elegant, mesmerizing and haunting. I absolutely love turning up the volume, and letting every hypnotic and melancholic note weep gently through the night. For the lovers of Max Richter, Eluvium, Rafael Anton Irisarri, and Zbig-niew Preisner.” — Headphone Commute

Scorpion Child – Acid Roulette CD/2xLP (Nuclear Blast)

“When plagued with a lust for the almighty groove, hard rock will set your soul on fire. Scorpion Child burns white hot in that area with Acid Roulette, an album full of rock music that melts the walls with lysergic-fueled dreams. The band hails from Austin, TX and is made up of Aryn Jonathan Black (vocals), Christopher Jay Cowart (guitar), Jon “Charn” Rice (drums), Alec “Caballero” Padron (bass), and Aaron John “AJ” Vincent (keyboards). Together, they have crafted an outstanding hard rock album that conveys a tale of loss, betrayal, and a game of chance designed to awaken the third eye. The album opens with ‘She Sings, I Kill’ which sets the tone for the rest of the songs to follow. The production is immaculate with great clarity, while retaining the raw power of the music. The gritty guitar tones of Christopher Cowart raise the hairs on your skin. In a refreshing change of pace, Alec Padron’s dynamic bass guitar is right up front in the mix, giving each song on this album a visceral punch. All the great musical influences of Scorpion Child are boiled and brewed with the essential soul of each musician on this record. Acid Roulette lets you breath in the sweet smoke of the familiar and realize that the band has given you something new and exciting.” – Metal Wani

Simon Scott – FloodLines CD (Touch)

FloodLines was recorded live at Cafe Oto as part of Touch Presents on January 31, 2016. Simon Scott is a sound ecologist and multi-instrumentalist from Cambridge, England. His past albums include Insomni (Ash International) and Below Sea Level (Kesh/TouchLine). His work explores the creative process of actively listening, the implications of recording the natural world using technology and the manipulation of natural sounds used for musical composition. He plays the drums in Slowdive and has recently collaborated with artists James Blackshaw, Spire, Taylor Deupree (Between), Isan and many more.

Tom Scott & The LA Express – Paul’s Mall, Boston, ’75 CD (Hi Hat)

Tom Scott & The LA Express live at Paul’s Mall, Boston on May 5th 1975. By 1975 the saxophonist Tom Scott was already a veteran composer, bandleader and session musician, having collaborated with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Barbra Streisand and many others. He formed LA Express in 1973, and together they swiftly established a reputation as a leading exponent of jazz-fusion. Originally broadcast on WBCN-FM 104.1 Live, this superb set finds Scott on fiery form, backed by Robben Ford (guitar), Larry Nash (piano), Max Bennett (bass) and John Guerin (drums).

The Shelters – The Shelters CD/LP (WB)

The Shelters’ eponymous, Tom Petty co-produced, debut album is a blast of Southern Californian rock ‘n’ roll. “The foursome — Chase Simpson, Josh Jove, Sebastian Harris and Jacob Pillot (the former two having played bit parts in Petty’s album Hypnotic Eye) — debuted with the garage-rocker ‘Birdwatching.’ They are much more, in sophistication and skill, than a garage band. They meld the spacey Laurel Canyon sound with the muscle of Sunset Strip rockers past and the rough-round-the-edges riffs of current indie favorites. Six-minute ‘The Ghost Is Gone’ has a spooky Doors vibe (maybe it’s not gone after all?); ‘Liar’ phases itself toward a blissful ’80s chorus; and ‘Fortune Teller,’ with its harmonies, jangle and backbeat, recalls the mystic ’60s. All will blow your hair back live. Classic, yet current.” – BuzzBands.la

Dani Siciliano – Dani Siciliano CD/LP (Circus Company)

Dani Siciliano presents her third album, expanding upon her accomplished past in experimental pop and electronica for a strong personal statement of her individual vision. Siciliano’s captivating voice remains at center-stage, and the listener can hear echoes of her earlier work with the likes of Matthew Herbert, The Soft Pink Truth, and Brooks tucked away among the folds of diverse instrumentation, but this is an album that sounds very much like its own beast, with the production intuitively framing the narrative of the lyrics in a perfect balance of the unusual and the immediate.

Silver Abuse – Consider The Pigeon CD/LP (Alona’s Dream)

Despite the fact that Silver Abuse has shared its distinctive style of punk noise and no-wave resonance in Chicago since 1977, it remains a modern band making now sounds. Their second full album, Consider The Pigeon, has been two years in the making and its definitely been worth the wait.

Sly & Robbie – Dub Sessions 1979-1985 CD/LP (Jamaican Recordings)

Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare are simply known all around the world as Sly and Robbie. They were the musical drum and bass backbone of reggae since the early- ‘70s. They have played on more records than any other set of musicians and to such a high standard that few could reach. The third part of the jigsaw is the mighty Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee who brought these legends together. These rare dubs are taken from the original master tapes.

Leroy Smart – Dead Hot In Africa + Propaganda CD (Burning Sounds)

Leroy Smart – Dead Hot In Africa [Reissue/1977] LP (Burning Sounds)

Leroy Smart – Propaganda [Reissue/1978] LP (Burning Sounds)

Roots reggae recorded at Channel One studios with the Revolutionaries as Smart’s backup band.

Elza Soares – The Woman At The End Of The World (A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo) CD/LP (Mais Um Discos)

Brazilian music icon Elza Soares teams up with the cream of São Paulo’s avant-garde musicians for an album of apocalyptic, experimental samba sujo (“dirty samba”) that tackles the burning issues of 21st century Brazil: racism, domestic violence, sex, drug addiction and global warming. “Album of the Year 2015.” — Brazil Rolling Stone

Jacek Staniszewski – Zawstydzajacy Dar CD (Lumberton Trading Company)

Jacek Staniszewski, an electronic musician from Poland, presents Zawstydzajacy Dar. Staniszewski has worked as Facial Index and founded Neurobot. “Jacek is back in a big way. This is his own personal work and is probably not suitable for any one of the contemporary Polish scenes. There is the same electronic goodness, without fatigued nodules or summary fashion.” — Iwona Palka

S To S – S To S CD (Sommor)

S to S’s self-titled debut album recorded in 1977 and released on their own Overcome label in 1978. Aside from the band’s unfortunate album cover logo, their sound is dangerous and aggressive with wall-of-fuzz guitars and manic speed drumming. S to S is one of those obscurities that have remained unknown to collectors of hard rock for many years. Recommended to anyone into Raw Power-era Stooges, Back In The USA-era MC5, Pink Fairies, early Motörhead, Hawkwind.

Sumac – What One Becomes CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Sumac is the trio of Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer) on guitar & vocals, Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) on drums, and Brian Cook (Russian Circles, These Arms Are Snakes, Botch) on bass whose ability to deliver punishing music is matched only by the weight of their pedigree. The music here employs both hardcore and post-metal with careful, but unhinged abandon.” — Pitchfork

Sutcliffe Jügend – Offal CD/2xLP (Cold Spring)

Post-industrial pioneers Sutcliffe Jügend take everything to a new level with the beautifully packaged album Offal. With printed lyrics included for the first time, we get to the heart of Sutcliffe Jügend at their euphoric and vilifying best. Words that will make you question what it is to be truly human and not the conformist PC neo-liberal slave so prevalent and encouraged in the modern era. The production on the album sounds massive compared to previous releases, giving the carefully constructed songs an intense, brutal and relentless environment not heard before.

Tackhead, the legendary dub-funk-rock institution. Robo Bass Hifi and Fats Comet, the legendary industrial hip-hop project behind Tackhead and their alter ego. They were and still are known for producing dance tracks that were densely layered in samples and ahead of their time. Robo Bass Hifi lives and breathes a tight combination of jungle, dub, dubstep, space and irregular pop. His electro reggae flavor (call it nu school) influenced drenched in bass music and is mighty in all its facets.

Telebossa – Garagem Aurora CD/LP (Staubgold)

Telebossa (Chico Mello and Nicholas Bussmann) fully realize their own musical language with their second album, Garagem Aurora, featuring contributions from Van Dyke Parks. While their 2011 debut album saw the duo exploring the bossa tradition through role models such as Antônio Carlos Jobim, Caetano Veloso, and João Gilberto, their mixture of Brazilian-style elements and new music has now become a model in its own right.

The Temper Trap – Thick As Thieves CD/LP+MP3 (Glassnote)

ARIA award winners and multi-platinum chart-toppers The Temper Trap return with their much-awaited third album release, Thick As Thieves. Featuring collaborations with Justin Parker (Lana Del Rey, Sia, Bat For Lashes), Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), Malay (Frank Ocean) and Pascal Gabriel (Ladyhawke, Goldfrapp), Thick As Thieves is the sound of a band who not only continue to take risks, but are also re-connecting with their origins, with striking results. Album single “Fall Together,” co-written with Parker, “treads huge new ground. It’s a glistening electro-pop anthem in the vein of ‘Hurts,’ with grandiose choruses and enormous emotion.” – The Line Of Best Fit

They Might Be Giants – Phone Power CD (Idlewild)

Boasting 18 pop gems, Phone Power continues the all-killer, no-filler tradition of the band’s current efforts. “The album mixes hints of Britpop and folk with a little bit of dirt and noise from glitchy electronics. Paired with the duos voices, it combines into a catchy and harmonious mixture.” — Under the Radar

Throws – Throws CD/LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Throws is Mike Lindsay and Sam Genders, whose previous band Tunng was beloved in Britain. While Throws hints at the pair’s affection for the British ‘60s folk and experimental explosion, the playful attitude here is entirely their own.

Allen Toussaint – American Tunes CD/2xLP (Nonesuch)

Nonesuch releases American Tunes, a new studio album by legendary New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint. Toussaint had just completed the album when he passed away in November of last year during a European tour. Recording took place at two sets of sessions with producer Joe Henry: solo piano at Toussaint’s New Orleans home studio in 2013, and with the rhythm section of Jay Bellerose and David Piltch—joined by guests Bill Frisell, Charles Lloyd, Greg Leisz, Rhiannon Giddens, and Van Dyke Parks—in Los Angeles in October 2015. The album comprises solo performances of Professor Longhair tunes and band arrangements of songs by Toussaint, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Paul Simon, and others.

New volume in the long-running King Size Dub series, this time a “special” showcasing the sub skills of Echo Beach — associated artist Robo Bass Hifi aka Markus Kammann. As always with this series, the compilation will be available for a very low price, ensuring that curious shoppers won’t hesitate to pick it up. Robo Bass Hifi celebrates up-to-date electro reggae sound in all its facets, from roots to dub to dubstep and future jungle.

This is the first leap into that world where rules are broken, but standards are observed. Heavenly delights from Holland, Germany, America, England, Canada, Poland, Brazil and the Pyrenees collide in a captivating collection all presented with a loving touch of restoration and mastery and utterly absurd and contemptuous liners.

Various Artists – Exotic Blues & Rhythm Vol. 1 + 2 CD (Stag-O-Lee)

Various Artists – Exotic Blues & Rhythm Vol. 3 + 4 CD (Stag-O-Lee)

The first four volumes in Stag-O-Lee’s Exotic Blues & Rhythm series were released on limited edition 10″ vinyl and sold out in next to no time. Enjoy amazing and danceable tunes from the late ’50s and early ’60s — a handful of Popcorn dancefloor smashes, a few grinding titty-shakers, awesome rhythm & blues — most of them with an exotic twist.

Various Artists – Karachi Files CD/2xLP (Noland)

In May 2015, an assortment of electronic musicians from Pakistan, the Maldives and Germany followed the footsteps of brothers Hannes and Andi Teichmann, otherwise known as Gebrüder Teichmann, the Forever South crew and the Goethe-Institut to meet in Karachi, Pakistan. Musicians, together with a photographer convened, and the outcome of two weeks would transpire into the Karachi Files. This textural collection of electronic fused works is a mélange of different cultures, immersed in a fixed space, of which predestined inspiration was taken from its surroundings.

For many music fans, the term ‘progressive music’ carries an ugly connotation. Not so for a band like Norwegian legends Virus, who whom progressive music is a palatable thing with welcoming structures and competent musicianship. Born as a continuation of musical themes explored by legendary black metal act Ved Buens Ende, Virus has gone far past any associations with their members’ other work. Since their formation in 2000, the band’s angular, jazz-infused take on heavy progressive music has carried the urgency of bands like Voivod while trading some of the metallic leanings in favor of sparse and spacey sounds. [Vinyl edition due July 15.]

At the peak of his career in 1951 Hank Williams recorded 143 songs for the Mother’s Best Flour Company radio shows. He sang with his regular studio band and recorded his hits as well as songs he never recorded commercially anywhere else. This set includes a DVD featuring a conversation with the last two members of Hank’s Mother’s Best Band, “Big Bill” Lister and Don Helms, as well as a revealing chat with his daughter, Jett Williams.

Wendy O. Williams – Deffest! And Baddest! CD (Plasmatics Media)

The third solo studio album released by Wendy O. Williams and the last album she ever recorded. Combing raw hip hop beats and over the top rock guitars, this album is a great blend of early rap and metal, much like the Beastie Boys’ License to Ill album.

Womps – Our Fertile Forever CD/LP (Displaced)

The Glasgow-based duo’s debut album was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. Our Fertile Forever perfectly encapsulates the band’s high regard for creating heavy hitting, hook-laden, angst-y pop songs laced with clever dynamics and an attention to melody.

Named after the misty mountain peak from Tolkien’s Lord Of the Rings, Zirakzigil have been steadily conquering the Pacific Northwest since their formation in early 2013. Described by Revolver Magazine as “‘70s prog-rock sliding down King Crimson’s mountain,” the trio are heavily influenced by both classical music and the famed prog-rock heavy weights of the ‘70s such as the aforementioned King Crimson along with Yes, Gentle Giant and Rush — to name just a few.

DVDs + Blu-ray:

Joan Baez – 75th Birthday Celebration DVD (Joan Baez)

On January 27th, 2016, Joan Baez celebrated her 75th birthday with a historic performance at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The special event honored her legendary 50-plus years in music in an intimate, career-spanning live performance. Baez performed alongside fellow artists and friends, including: David Bromberg, Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Judy Collins, David Crosby, Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Damien Rice, Paul Simon, Mavis Staples, Nano Stern and Richard Thompson.

U2’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour kicked off in Vancouver in May 2015. [A Super Deluxe box set edition is also available, which contains the Blu-ray and both DVDs, as well as a 64-page hardback book and a plethora of bits and bobs, such as postcards/art prints, a sticker sheet, stencils, badges, a dog tag (individually numbered) and a USB lightbulb.]

Italian funky library monster from the infamous Fonit Usignolo series. Ust 370 – Caratteristici Vari contains many outtakes from the Inchiesta jam reissued in 2013, so it was most likely fully recorded in 1977. “Foggy Place” easily explains why this album is on top levels, hip-hop funky with scat vocals. 20 tracks of several score and various themes, jazz-funk and funky vibes all over, Fender Rhodes and sexy scat vocals, bossa, easy listening, blues jazz, Hammond funk, tense cinematic and lively groovy vibes for the full album.

Formed in London in 1977 by Mark Perry and Alex Fergusson, then editors of the punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue, Alternative TV was a post-punk group known for incorporating reggae rhythms and pushing the boundaries of the definition of punk toward the experimental and avant-garde. Their first album, The Image Has Cracked, came out originally in 1978 and is a wholly unique piece of British post-punk. Beloved by John Peel, and close confidantes of Throbbing Gristle, Alternative TV is one of the most original and beguiling groups of the era. This classic is reissued here on HQ-180gm vinyl with two bonus tracks and a double-sided insert.

American Hi-Fi – American Hi-Fi Acoustic LP (Rude)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Acoustic version of the Boston-based pop punk band’s self-titled 2001 debut.

Released last year on CD – now available on vinyl. One of the unsung heroes of the Piedmont blues style, Robert Hicks, aka Barbecue Bob recorded over sixty sides for Columbia Records and became one of the best-selling artists on their race series, outsold only by Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Blind Willie Johnson. With his original and witty compositions he was one of the real pioneers of the Atlanta blues scene of the time, but his career was tragically ended by his death from pneumonia at the age of just 29.

Bas – Too High To Riot LP (Dreamville/Interscope)

Release last March on CD – now available on vinyl. Bas, Parisian export turned Queens expert, is the first artist signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville imprint.

B/B/S/ – Palace 2xLP+MP3 (Miasmah)

Palace is the second full-length by B/B/S/, the trio of Aidan Baker, Andrea Belfi and Erik Skodvin (aka Svarte Greiner). The place B/B/S/ puts you in is not a gleaming one: It could be imagined as an empty room with just a chair to sit on to be surrounded and pervaded by flickering guitars, effects and drums — a scenery that is as murky as it is gripping and best digested without further distraction.

bed. – Klickitat LP (Bug Hunt)

Slow and sludgy bass matched with simple, hooky guitar lines fit bed. alongside the likes of The Pixies, Weezer and Grandaddy — an era of ‘90s indie rock long gone.

Olga Bell – Tempo LP (One Little Indian)

Recently release on CD – now available on vinyl. Olga Bell has made some incredibly forward-thinking music in the past, but her new album, Tempo, is a new direction for her. The songwriter, who recently caught a lot of attention as a collaborator on Dirty Projectors’ last studio album Swing Lo Magellan, revealed that her new songs are focused more on the physical aspect of music.

Guy Bernard – Les Statues Meurent Aussi LP (Doxy)

Les Statues Meurent Aussi (1953) is a 30-minute short film with a very complicated history of censorship that at one time elevated it to a somewhat mythical status and which prevented it from being brought into the wider public eye until some 16 years after it was completed. The Alain Resnais and Chris Marker’s film exhibits a series of sculptures, masks and other traditional art from Sub-Saharan Africa projecting a passionately anti-colonial, anti-racist, even anti-capitalist message in a stunning audio-visual collage accompanied by an intense and immersive musical score by Guy Bernard. Released for the first time ever on vinyl a masterpiece from French cinema.

Two-track split 7” with silk-screened covers: “Send Help” (Big Business) and “Hold On To The Sky” (Pins Of Light). San Francisco’s Pins Of Light reside in that murky musical shadow-territory of the nearly unclassifiable. They craft a brutal and intricate mélange of metal, punk and prog that isn’t quite any of those things. Pins Of Light’s most progressive moments are more Motörhead than Mothers Of Invention, their metal is more Pink Floyd than it’s Judas Priest, and the elements of punk result in a driving fistfight that’s entirely the band’s own. Big Business is a stoner metal/sludge metal band from Seattle founded by Jared Warren and Coady Willis. Their sound has been characterized as a bombastic and frantic low end attack, marked by Warren’s signature vocal delivery.

Blue Mountain – Dog Days [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (MVD Audio)

Blue Mountain was an American alt-country/roots rock band formed in 1991 in Oxford, Mississippi. Dog Days is is highly regarded as a classic in the alt-coutnry/roots rock scene.

Boyz Noize – Mayday 2xLP (Rough Trade)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Boys Noize has been churning out records for over a decade now, and he continues to make his creative presence in dance music known. The German producer and DJ, born Alexander Ridha, returns with Mayday, exploring new sounds and featuring collaborations with Hudson Mohawke, Spank Rock, Poliça, Remy Banks and Benga.

Cardiknox – Portrait LP+MP3 (WB)

Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. Portrait is the debut album from L.A. dance-pop duo Cardiknox featuring singer Lonnie Angle and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Dutton. The auspicious 12-track set threads together rich soundscapes, thick, booming beats, and dynamic vocals. Lonnie explains the album’s sound as “…pop, but there are so many different elements. It’s indie, electronic, epic, cinematic, nostalgic, and even a little ‘80s-inspired.”

Caroline K. – Now Wait For Last Year [Reissue/1985] LP (Blackest Ever Black)

This haunting, wistful work of post-industrial synthesizer music — the late Nocturnal Emissions co-founders only solo record — has accrued a fervent cult following over the past 30 years, and copies of the original pressing are today extremely sought-after.

The Cars – The Elektra Years 1978-1987 6xLP (Elektra)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Collects six studio albums, each pressed on HQ-180gm color vinyl and packaged in replica sleeves with original artwork. Ric Ocasek oversaw digital remastering for the set, while drummer David Robinson — who helped create The Cars iconic album covers through the years — served as art director. Includes all six of their original studio albums for Elektra Records: The Cars (1978), Candy O (1979), Panorama (1980), Shake It Up (1981), Heartbeat City (1984), and Door To Door (1987).

Cinerama – Valentina LP (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)

Cinerama, David Gedge’s ‘other’ band, releases a new album, Valentina. David is best known as the guiding force behind indie rock legends The Wedding Present and Valentina is actually a radical reworking of The Wedding Present’s eighth studio album of the same name which was released in 2012 to critical acclaim. Harboring a long-term dream to record one version of an album as The Wedding Present and another (with re-imagined songs) as Cinerama, David’s initial plan was to release two albums simultaneously but he soon realized that this was an undertaking that would take many years to accomplish. So, after deciding on using Valentina for this ambitious project, the decision was made to stagger the releases to allow time to complete the complex arrangements involved with the Cinerama version.

Limited HQ-180gm blue vinyl LP pressing of the twenty-second album by Elvis Costello. It is his second official live release after the El Mocambo bonus disc issued with the 2½ Years box set, and consists of recordings from the North Sea Jazz Festival in July 2004, made with Steve Nieve and The Metropole Orkest, with Vince Mendoza conducting.

Crisi – Exploit [Reissue/1972] LP (Sonor Music Editions)

HQ-180gm vinyl reissue of an Italian prog holy-grail.

Cornelius – Fantasma [Reissue/1997] 2xLP (Lefse)

A reissue of the 1997 Fantasma album from Japanese pop-noise savant Cornelius. Fantasma is Cornelius’ creative and commercial breakthrough, a kaleidoscopic, genre-hopping joy ride through contemporary musical history that became Cornelius’ first American release when it was reissued by Matador a year later. Long out of print, Lefse Records reissues Fantasma in a limited edition, remastered, deluxe double-LP gatefold vinyl, complete with bonus tracks. [Limited orange color vinyl edition is also available.]

De Beren Gieren – One Mirrors Many LP (SDBAN Ultra)

De Beren Gieren is a trio of explorers and improvisers that debuted in 2011 and quickly made a name for their selves in the Belgian contemporary jazz scene. One Mirrors Many is their fifth album, and the first one in which the band experiments with incorporating electronic analog elements to their sound. Analog effects, tape loops and contact microphones are used and adapted to their instruments.

The Deslondes – Tres Grand Serpent b/w What Are They Doing In Heaven? 7” (New West)

The Deslondes’ new 7”, featuring the original swamp-pop song “Tres Grand Serpent” (written by John James Tourville) is backed with the traditional hymn “What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?” featuring Twain.

One of the rarest and best library albums from the Fonit Usignolo series. Actually the full soundtrack for an obscure Italian movie, this is one of the finest jazz-funk scores to come out of Italy in the 1970s. Full of poliziesco-styled sounds, sexy giallo and thriller grooves, dark cop themes with infectious flute stabs, clipped wah-wah, elegant spy jazz waltzes, funky drums, dope Rhodes, vertigo psychedelic guitars and basslines, panoramic lounge, eccentric funky-baroque, romantic themes and so on.

16 years after its initial release on CD, this 23-track Dylan collection is available on vinyl.

Cevdet Erek – Frenzy [OST] LP (Subtext)

A new work by Istanbul based artist and musician Cevdet Erek, assembled from his soundtrack to the Turkish crime thriller Frenzy, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2015 Venice Film Festival.

Fat Mattress – Fat Mattress [Reissue/1969] LP (Radiation Deluxe)

Formed by guitarist/vocalist Noel Redding while he was still playing bass in The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fat Mattress released their debut in late 1969 on Polydor. Though Noel’s more famous group was known for its hard edged psychedelic rock, Fat Mattress instead opted for the breezier side of things, with a distinct West Coast folk-rock bent. Drawing comparisons to Love, the Buffalo Springfield, and The Byrds, Fat Mattress is harmony-heavy and tuneful psychedelia.

Flanger – Spinner 12” (Nonplace)

Flanger continues to explore a techno-infused notion of nuclear jazz.

Flying Saucer Attack – New Lands [Reissue/1997] LP (Drag City)

Flying Saucer Attack – Mirror [Reissue/2000] LP (Drag City)

After what felt to be an extended wait, New Lands arrived in late 1997, marking phase two of Flying Saucer Attack as an ostensible solo act for Dave Pearce. New Lands presented a foreboding atmosphere, with coarse electric textures from the very top of the record, as well as an unanticipated rubbery bottom and the implied physicality of such on several songs. The distance between albums only increased between New Lands and Mirror. Mirror arrived wrapped in a vibrant, multicolored cover designed by Savage Pencil—but the opening sequence of songs offered some of the quietest, most refined Flying Saucer Attack songs committed to tape. The violent spells of New Lands had given way to a flattened drone on the electric pieces “Space 1999,” and “Islands” and “Dark Wind,” while the glittering acoustics of “Suncatcher” and “Tides” highlighted an incredible fragility within the songs.

Fufanu – Few More Days To Go LP (One Little Indian)

“While most reviews have so far compared Fufanu to standard issue post-punk luminaries like Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, Bauhaus, etc. — with Kaktus’ vocals in particular earning comparisons to those of Ian Curtis — the group have made it clear they are influenced only by their own desire to make exactly the kind of music they want to listen to. (It’s worth noting that Kaktus hadn’t even heard of Curtis prior to the press comparisons.) Personally, their music reminds me a bit of the playful experimentation of the first two undervalued Simple Minds albums, only a little less messy.” – The Four Oh Five

Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1961 masterpiece La Notte is an atmospheric and enthralling movie. Gaslini wrote his score while the film was being shot, making a cameo with his own orchestra in the party that serves as a background for the film. According to his recollections this ended up being the most bizarre and exciting experience of his career. The end result is fairly unique as well: a catalog of ambient jazz music that boasts an unprecedented psychological thrust.

Goo Goo Dolls – Boxes LP (WB)
Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. 11th album from the veteran alt-rock band, now comprised mainly of singer/guitarist John Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac. One of the most successful rock groups of the ’90s, the Goo Goo Dolls have been nominated for four Grammy Awards and are receivers of four ASCAP Pop Awards.

Guru Guru – UFO [Reissue/1970] LP (Play Loud Productions)

Guru Guru is a German Krautrock band formed in 1968 as The Guru Guru Groove by Mani Neumeier (drums), Uli Trepte (bass) and Eddy Naegeli (guitar) later replaced by American Jim Kennedy (guitar). In time for their debut in 1970, Ax Genrich had replaced Kennedy to solidify the classic Guru Guru line up. Guru Guru were related to the free jazz music scene both through their work with Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer and through Neumeier, who had already won several jazz prizes. The band was also influenced by psychedelic rock artist, such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Rolling Stones and early Pink Floyd. Among the band’s friends were Amon Düül, Can and Xhol Caravan, with whom Guru Guru played jam sessions. Guru Guru is their first album. [Limited color vinyl copies also available.]

The Hayman Kupa Band – Someone To Care For b/w What Happened 7” (Static Caravan)

The Hayman Kupa Band is a supergroup comprising Darren Hayman, Emma Kupa formerly of Standard Fare and currently of Mammoth Penguin, Fever Dream drummer Cat Loye and Michaelmas aka Michael Wood on bass. Back in 2014 Darren asked Emma to sing on his Fortuna Pop single “Boy, Look At What You Can’t Have Now” and a fruitful and productive working relationship blossomed from that first meeting over the following months producing a set of co-written songs. Cat and Michael were recruited to bring the songs to life and form The Hayman Kupa Band.

Hissing – Hissing 7” (Southern Lord)

Hissing dispatches a gruesome concoction of death metal with pungent blackened atmosphere and scathing sludge-dredging attributes, outputting gnarled death in the vein of Incantation, Autopsy, and Winter, with attributes inspired by the likes of Portal, Blut Aus Nord, Swans, Coffins, and others permeating from deep within.

David J and Federale and Friends – The Day That Bowie Died 10” (A. Recordings)

David J (Bauhaus, Love And Rockets) with Federal and Friends present a tribute to David Bowie. David J expresses how it happened: “I purchased Blackstar on the day of it’s elease. The album blew me away. The following night David Bowie left the planet. In a state of shock I played the new album for the second time. Listening to it in a strangely exalted state I was struck by Bowie’s incredibly complex swan song. By the end I was weeping copiously. Those tears ended up in ‘The Day David Bowie Died.’ I recorded it the next day.”

Jackie Lynn – Jackie Lynn LP+MP3 (Thrill Jockey)

Jackie Lynn is the new album from Haley Fohr, the compelling front woman of Circuit des Yeux. Recorded and featuring performances by Cooper Crain of Cave and Bitchin Bajas, the album also featured Crain’s Bitchin Bajas bandmates Rob Frye and Dan Quinlivan. For this album, Fohr created the persona of Jackie Lynn, developed her back story and then wrote the album as her. These songs of a country girl gone drug dealer have a fast and loose air. The combination of the Lynn persona and Crain’s affection for synthesized sounds of all sorts makes for an entirely singular pop album. Center stage is the utterly powerful voice of Fohr.

Kelly – Essential R. Kelly 2xLP (Jive)

18 tracks from the R&B singer/songwriter/producer.

Vester Koza – OTR 12” (Houndstooth)

Almost a year after his last outing, London-based Vester Koza is making a welcome return to the fray with a new EP entitled OTR. Featuring four atmospheric cuts, for the first time it finds him step away from his own Maslo label to join Houndstooth. Fusing elements of dub, ambient and IDM into moody sound worlds with you right at the center, he has a subtle but seductive touch that has always marked him out. An on-going interest in security, technology and privacy characterizes his work, as does a passion for the vintage and modern gear he uses when producing.

Leapling – Suspended Animation LP (Exploding In Sound)

Leapling, the brainchild of Brooklyn-based songwriter Dan Arnes, return with their sophomore album. The band’s follow up to last year’s Vacant Page finds the collective moving in new directions of pop brilliance. Arnes stripped down the band’s art-pop exploration and found himself immersed in a bright new power-pop sound. The record is layered, nuanced, and full of musical deviation, but the results are coherent and evocative.

Les Points – Anthoms 2xLP (Les Points)

Anthoms is a diverse experience through past sonic waves transformed in to future matters. Obscure dance music for everyone. Repetitive, expanding into human emotion — only possible via expressions and not sound-designs.

Lera Lynn – Resistor LP (Sands Foley)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “With each successive release — her 2011 debut Have You Met Lera Lynn?, the Lying In The Sun EP, 2014’s The Avenues and this latest one — Lynn has moved further and further from the torch-and-twang territory and Americana affinities with which she was first associated. The transition has been smooth, given that she never identified all that closely with country and folk songwriting traditions that rely on lyrics to set a mood; she’s about lovely, low-spirited melodies and atmospheric, enveloping performances.” – NPR

A totally insane Italian killer library album reissued for the joy of collectors and sample hunters from the highly-collectible Fonit Usignolo series. Famed album Mario Molino’s for the mental breakbeats hailing from the track “Traffico Caotico,” a simply mind-melting electronic hip-hop beat which seems to be written nowadays. Spaced-out deep electronic and experimental sounds with another atomic shot “Iceland Bossa” featured. More avant-garde, TV-score themes, industrial vibes and space electronics madness on the rest of the album. HQ-180gm.

Mutilator – Immortal Force [Reissue/1987] LP (Greyhaze)

Originally released in 1987, Mutilator’s Immortal Force quickly became one of the most sought-after death metal albums from the Brazilian scene. Savage and unpredictable, Immortal Force will please fans of Black Witchery, Beherit, and early Sepultura.

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. During the ’60s and ’70s, three distinguished old gentlemen who had built their careers playing “made in France” exotic jazz — Roger Roger (1911-1995), Nino Nardini (1912-1994), and Eddie Warner (1917-1982) — met every evening in the Ganaro recording studio, playing like kids with their new toys: souped-up keyboards that looked more like prototypes of spaceships to explore the Milky Way. Flying high on whimsical and joyful inspiration, the improbable trio used their strange instruments to sketch out the beginnings of something that, at that time, resembled the future of music; this set collects their productions from 1972-1982.

Nas – The Essential Nas 2xLP (Sony)

19 classics from the hip-hop icon.

Janko Nilovic – Chorus [Reissue/1974] LP (Underdog)

Janko Nilovic certainly was one of the greatest studio talents of Europe in the ’70s. He is a musician who devotes himself to music, which resulted in a great number of published works, but most of them made for library music labels and also not available for sale. His oeuvre stretches from classical, jazz and funk to pop, psyche and easy listening and has been sampled many times by hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, Dre, Dafuniks and Guts.

Normandie – Inguz LP (Invogue)

“When it comes to newer, less established bands, there isn’t typically a lot of hype surrounding them; unless the band is a super group of sorts or is featured prominently in many music publications prior to them being properly unveiled to the world. Enter into the fray the Swedish rock band Normandie and their debut album Inguz. While the band has been around for some time with previously released singles, they’ve undergone a rebranding of sorts which came from the loss of their harsh vocalist and led to a new, finely crafted and modernized rock sound that instantly drew comparisons to another recently rebranded band, Bring Me The Horizon.” – SoundFiction

From the infamous Fonit 7001 series, we have one of the most obscure and deepest of Rino de Filippi’s creations, Atmosfere, composed along with maestro Giancarlo Chiaramello. Obstinate dark breakbeats like in the killer “Ostinazione” with fuzz psychedelic guitar and amazing drumming tempo. More dark samples on “Pulsazioni.” Spookiest guitar and basslines ever and scary atmospherics with screaming sophisticated vocals too.

Origin One Ft. Parly B. – Mi Bredrin 7” (Nice Up!)

Origin One come in heavy with their first release for Nice Up! enlisting the help of one of the UK’s finest and most prolific dancehall MCs, Parly B. Having previously worked with heavyweights such as Mungo’s Hifi, The Skints and Reggae Roast, Parly brings his trademark toasting to the bubbling dancehall beats of “Mi Bredrin,” creating an instant dancefloor killer.

Released last March on CD – now available on vinyl. Ru-Jac Records, one of the nation’s first African-American owned record labels, was formed in Baltimore in the early 1960s by Rufus Mitchell, who booked East Coast entertainment venues including Carr’s Beach, a segregated summer resort near Annapolis. Ru-Jac was active into the 1970s and featured R&B, soul, funk, jazz and even rock acts. The most frequently recorded Ru-Jac artist was Winfield Parker. Parker cut 17 recordings for Ru-Jac, all of which are collected here along with six previously unissued tracks. [Limited yellow vinyl.]

Pheeyownah – zero9zero9 12” (Labrador)

Pheeyownah is a Stockholm-born producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/dancer, who has self-released her first two EPs. She works under strict DIY principles. At her home studio she makes smokey R&B that some say sounds like a mix between Burial, Sade, early Weeknd and Twin Peaks.

The Philistines – Backbone Of Night LP (Record Machine)

“The nine-track The Backbone Of Night finds the Kansas City six-piece careening around a wide swath of heavy psychedelia, garage, desert and other assorted rocks. It’s the kind of record you might put on and wonder where the hell the band comes from, at times nodding toward the more cohesive end of West Coast bliss-outs, but also offering more driving moments like ‘A Twitch Of The Death Nerve’ or delving into classic-style, cane-sugar-coated pop on ‘A Heart Like Candy’ such that each time the listener thinks they have The Backbone Of Night figured out, The Philistines hang a louie and the context for the record as a whole expands once again.” – The Obelisk

Jean-Bernard Raiteux – Les Demons [OST] LP (Finders Keepers)

The unreleased Euro pysch score to the French/Portuguese X-rated version of The Devils Meets The Witchfinder General.

Rainer Riehn – Chants de Maldoror 2xLP (Edition Telemark)

Rainer Riehn (1941-2015) was a German musicologist, conductor and composer of avant-garde music. He is best known for being the long-time partner and collaborator of Heinz-Klaus Metzger with whom he published the journal Musik-Konzepte between 1977 and 2003, devoted to the musical avant-garde of all eras. Together, they also founded the Ensemble Musica Negativa in 1969, committed to radical music by John Cage, Morton Feldman, Dieter Schnebel, for which Riehn served as the conductor and organizer. Nevertheless, his own small but impressive compositional oeuvre of chamber and electronic music remained mostly unpublished. Between 1965 and 1971, Riehn was a student with Gottfried Michael Koenig at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht where he realized a number of electronic pieces of which only one, Chants de Maldoror, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in 1970. This edition for the first time collects all surviving pieces he made during this period.

Rawls – The Essence Of… (Fifteenth Anniversary Redux) 2xLP (Polar)

In February of 2001, a young up and coming producer by the name of J Rawls released his first album titled The Essence Of…. The seminal album from the producer who would go on to produce for the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Beastie Boys, Us3 and many more featured a myriad of guests from the burgeoning underground hip-hop scene.

Akira Sakata – The Tale Of The Heike [2011] LP (Trost)

Expanded first-ever vinyl edition of The Tale Of The Heike, an intense solo performance by legendary Japanese jazz reedist Akira Sakata.

Samiah – Diamonds 7” (KingsUnderground)

This instrumental hip-hop 7” is an ode to the love of jazz fusion and that dusty sound with a handful of tracks recorded from 2013/2015. Both of the tracks, “Love Fusion” and “Floating,” were made over the course of three epic days locked in the studio on the MPC 2500.

Sarabante – Poisonous Legacy LP (Southern Lord)

“There are no two ways about it: Poisonous Legacy is a ferocious and devastating maelstrom of an album. It’s the sound of pure fury, rage distilled and bottled in shot-size explosions of power stronger than any of Brewdog’s gimmicky spirit-strength brews. The majority of the album’s twelve tracks clock in at under to and a half minutes. Poisonous Legacy is an album of punishing intensity and astounding force.” – Aural Aggravation

Walter Schreifels – An Open Letter To The Scene LP+7” (Run For Cover)

He may not be a mainstream mainstay, but mention the name Walter Schreifels to anyone even tangentially involved in the punk or hardcore scene and chances are you’ll be met with borderline reverence. From his tenure in legendary hardcore bands like Gorilla Biscuits and Youth Of Today to his work in the pioneering post-hardcore act Quicksand and cult favorites like Rival Schools, Schreifels has proved himself to be one of the more talented and diverse songwriters of his generation.

Darrell Scott – Couchville Sessions 2xLP (Full Light)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A deft lyricist who works in the idioms of folk, blues and classic country, singer-songwriter Darrell Scott has always been a quintessential Americana artist, long before Americana became the inflationary coin of the realm in alternative Nashville. In his long and variegated career, the Kentucky-born Scott has seen his songs covered by more than 70 artists, from Travis Tritt to Keb ‘Mo to Mary Gauthier. His new album, Couchville Sessions, is comprised of nine originals and five covers, including Hank Williams’ “Ramblin’ Man,” Johnny Cash’s “Big River,” and Townes Van Zandt’s “Loretta.” The opening track, “Down To The River,” a Scott original, features a spoken-word outro by country-folk legend Guy Clark, who spins a tale about a crow’s nest made out of barbed-wire he once stumbled upon in a windmill derrick.

Vinyl reissue of the second volume of Sinatra singles and B-sides featuring arrangements

by Nelson Riddle.

Sinclair – Get Out Of The City LP (Dangerbird)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Every song that Aaron Sinclair writes has a certain underlying feeling. SPIN described it as “twitchy paranoia.” Baeble Music sensed a “strung-out urgency” in his voice, while the Austin Chronicle called his music “tension-driven” with “tight, rough riffs and sharp post-punk lines.” It’s surprising then, that in person, Sinclair is a quiet guy – reserved, humble, and even-keeled. Not one for self-promotion, he often shies away from putting himself in the spotlight. As Paste put it, “he lets the music speak for itself.”

Sioux Falls – Rot Forever LP (Broken World Media)

“If an artist is going to make an album that acts as a compendium of all their formative musical influences up until that point and not have it come across as stale or staid, Sioux Falls’ Rot Forever is a blueprint for how to go about it. The touchstones are many, but the Portland-via-Montana band executes every element cleanly and assuredly, and with their own personal, wearied touch. Even more so than their ’90s forebears, Sioux Falls often recall their contemporaries that have also mined that sound. At times, I get the sense that this is a band who connected more initially with Alex G than Elliott Smith, listened to LVL UP before making their way to Guided By Voices. That’s not a judgement call, it’s just how we tend to be introduced to music these days: a backwards progression.” — Stereogum

Snarky Puppy – Culcha Vulcha 2xLP (Ground Up)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “High among the variously outstanding qualities of the band Snarky Puppy is its fecundity. This new music heard here isn’t even the first Snarky record to come out this year — that would be the live album and concert film of collaborations called Family Dinner Vol. 2, released in February. Count back and you arrive at seven full-length releases in the last five years, 11 in total. Culcha Vulcha is Snarky Puppy’s first true studio record in many years, with no studio audience or guest-star collaborators. Given their work ethic, it’s hard to imagine that League and the ‘family’ would commit such a document to tape haphazardly; it certainly sounds more post-produced than their typical live-to-tape recordings. The intentional nature of the project seems to surface something more at the core of their ethos. At very least, Culcha Vulcha is big, rich and funky.” – NPR

The Smiths – The World Won’t Listen [Reissue/1986] 2xLP (Rhino)

The Smiths – Louder Than Bombs [Reissue/1987] 2xLP (Rhino)

The Smiths – Rank [Reissue/1988] LP (Rhino)

HQ-180gm vinyl reissues now available.

Soundtrack – From Dusk Till Dawn [Reissue/1996] LP (Brookvale)

Limited edition blood splattered color vinyl LP repress of the soundtrack to the 1996 motion picture. Includes snippets of dialog from the film as well as music by the Mavericks, The Blasters, ZZ Top. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Tito & Tarantula (who are featured in the film).

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. “Canadian rock band Sulfur City‘s new album features front woman Lori Paradis enjoying a bit of musical ecstasy, an image that evokes a Janis Joplin LP cover. It’s a clever strategy in making that connection as it highlight the band’s greatest asset, their superlative lead vocalist. Thing is, Sulfur City really are a rawk band, not blues/soul band, so Grace Slick is really a better comparison point as Paradis shares Slick’s graceful enunciation and more restrained sense of energy and drama. Did I mention this is a serious rock and roll record, something that’s vanishing faster than bees these days? Sulfur City is a really honest to goodness working class rock band, the kind you can unwind to with beers and pool games at the local pub. Paradis even possesses the requisite career history as she’s been a construction worker, house painter and trucker. Those are careers that make you tough and give you the right rock ‘n’ roll mindset.” – Popmatters.

Franco Tonani – Confluenze [Reissue/1970] LP (Sonor Music Editions)

Franco Tonani at the drums with top Italian jazz musicians of the time for a full free jazz/avant-garde session.

Original soundtrack for the Italian cult sexy comedy of the same name. Huge and lovely score mainly characterized by the main theme “Sessomatto,” a killer famed theme which was originally a sample of Manu Dibango’s Latin funk hit “Soul Makossa.”

Various Artists – Paradise 25 Years 3xLP (News 541)

In 1991, the Pacha Ibiza vibe was brought to Belgium by Patrick Soks, who has been hosting the Paradise parties at Café d’Anvers since then. Derrick May, Derrick Carter, Stacey Pullen, Todd Terry, Pete Tong, Dimitri, Marcello, Doc Martin, Laurent Garnier, Sven Väth, Bob Sinclar, Luciano all played their first Belgian DJ set at this legendary Belgian party. Enjoy this anniversary release full of seminal tracks.

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. A compilation of dancefloor grooves from Cabo Verde, revealing the mystery behind the island’s cosmic synth sound. Eight out of the fifteen songs presented in this compilation were recorded with the backing of the Voz de Cabo Verde band, led by composer Paulino Vieira, the mastermind behind the creation and promulgation of what is known today as “The Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde.”

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Rufus Wainwright celebrates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in typically dramatic fashion by releasing a unique collection of nine sonnets in stunning performances by both actors and vocalists: Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine), Martha Wainwright, Anna Prohaska, and of course, Rufus himself, as well as actors Sian Phillips, Helena Bonham Carter, Carrie Fisher and William Shatner.

In 2005 Take Fountain was the first Wedding Present album in nine years. The one before, Saturnalia, released in 1996, went Top 40. Now the album for the first time on vinyl in the United States. The album was recorded in Seattle with Steve Fisk, who has also produced Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pavement, Low, and The Screaming Trees.

Wu-Tang Clan – Essential Wu-Tang Clan 2xLP (Sony)

20 classics from the hip-hop collective.

Cassettes:

Death Valley Girls – Glow In The Dark (Burger)

Debut album from the L.A. psych-punks. Title track “Glow In The Dark” “starts out as an eerie song with some definite hints of Sonic Youth, but quickly evolves into scuzzy garage punk. It’s good stuff.” – Brooklyn Vegan

The Gotobeds – Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic (Sub Pop)

“Pittsburgh punk DIY-ers The Gotobeds have been climbing out of the basement for a little while now: In a recent interview with SPIN, frontman Eli Kasan described an unexpected but welcome write-up on NPR’s website upon the release of their debut, 2014’s Poor People Are Revolting. On its follow-up, the Red Hot Chili Peppers-needling Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic, the four-piece collaborate with Protomartyr leader Joe Casey (who also wrote their band bio) on the half-screamed ‘Why’d You.’ It’s hard not to be drawn in by the album’s hooky post-punk song structures, which showcase wiry guitar lines and bombastic, free-for-all shouts. Yet beneath the good times is pure punk nihilism, whether they’re dissing the US on ‘Cold Gold (LA’s Alright)’ (‘We’re from America, where we don’t move on we just move’) or ‘Rolling Stone, that trash rag’ on the siren-sounding ‘Crisis Time.’” – SPIN